So Why Paso Robles?

Why Paso Robles for an extended vacation? Why not Sonoma or Napa or any other wine country?

First, my best friend in the world lives in Paso Robles with her husband, and being able to spend time with her is something that’s at the top of my list.

Second, the wineries! Of course! But most of them aren’t even open in the middle of the week.

So why would I want to go?

Well, the first weekend is the Wine Festival, and from Friday through Sunday there are all kinds of activities going on. I’m saving my nickles and dimes so that I can enjoy as many of them as possible. As I mentioned in the last post, there are Farmers Markets going on every day in the entire Central Coast area, including two per week in Paso Robles itself. There are also world-class restaurants, bistros, and bars.

Memorial Day weekend will see the Paso Robles Festival of the Arts, which speaks to me in a very special way. I don’t know if I’ll be able to purchase any art, but I wouldn’t miss that for anything! I’m a former art major and artist, but because of a devastating break to my right arm 40 years ago which caused major nerve damage and affected my fine motor coordination, I no longer draw or paint. Which is why I love Photoshop!

As a former art major, the architecture of Paso Robles enthralls me. The rolling hills outside of Paso upon which some our favorite wineries stand, are also planned targets for my lenses. There are other attractions around Paso, including Lake Naciemiento which is just a few miles away. Other plans include visiting Cambria, Hearst Castle, and whining my way into interviews with some of the winemakers. I plan to do a lot of shooting and uploading pics on my long-neglected Gallery site, and videos, too. My cameras will be busy, and I plan to be posting a lot! If I find that I have some spare time to myself, I also hope to be working on The Great American Novel that’s been stewing in my head for years.

Sure I could do some of those things anywhere else, but why Paso Robles in particular? Political issues and cost of living aside, this is a place that I could easily retire to and live out my life there. The weather is ideal, and the people are amazing and welcoming. Lottoor Megabucks luck notwithstanding (I know, I know – I actually have to play), if it were at all possible, I’d retire there in a heartbeat and call it home. Unfortunately, California isn’t friendly tax-wise even to retirees, so I’ll always make my home in Nevada. Not only because it’s incredibly tax-friendly, but also because it’s close to California and my two other favorite states, Utah and Arizona.

So I guess you could call my vacation in Paso an exercise in fantasy. That’s okay. I’m going to enjoy my week+ and marvel at the idea that I even decided to take a real vacation in the first place!

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In addition, the wine itself has direct contact with the plastic bag, which is a permeable, petrochemical-based material. If the wine has any decent acid in it, that immediately should be cause for concern.

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You’d think that having all of those beautiful experiences among the stunning scenery and environment of wine country would make me long to be a winemaker. And you would be wrong. Oh so very, very wrong.

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The cork forest sucks up CO2 which is generated in part by the plastic and aluminum refining processes. “Endocrine disrupter” is not a phrase you’ll see in relationship to cork. And there’s no such thing as a “cork spill.”

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“There has never been a peer reviewed or scientific study done to corroborate the outlandish claims of 5-10% spoilage of wines due to the natural cork closure. This a fallacy, perpetuated by those with a vested, financial interest in selling alternative closures. I’m happy to have you quote me on that.”

Quotes on Wine, Food, and Vegas!

Fermented beverages have been preferred over water throughout the ages: they are safer, provide psychotropic effects, and are more nutritious. Some have even said alcohol was the primary agent for the development of Western civilization, since more healthy individuals (even if inebriated much of the time) lived longer and had greater reproductive success.